December 07, 2008

Graham Harrell happy to finish career at "home''

Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell can't thinik of a better way to end his college career than playing in the Cotton Bowl.

The Red Raiders (11-1) will face Mississippi (8-4) in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2. That's an ideal place for Harrell, who grew up in Ennis, which is located less than an hour from Dallas.

"The Cotton Bowl is going to be a great place to end my playing career at Texas Tech,'' said Harrell, a 6-3, 205-pound senior. "The chance to go back home and play in front of my family and friends from Ennis is going to be very special.

"We thought all along that our team could do some special things this year, and getting the invitation to the Cotton Bowl is something we are all proud of. Ole Miss is a great team and we are really going to have to focus and prepare for them just like we have done all season long.''

Tech senior strong safety Daniel Charbonnet also is happy to end his Red Raider career in the Cotton Bowl.

"We are excited to be a part of one of the most prestigious and traditional college football bowl games in history,'' said Charbonnet, who hails from The Woodlands. "We look forward to playing a team from the SEC, and that is probably the best part of the bowl season.

"You get to move out of conference and play someone new.''

The Red Raiders know Ole Miss is the only team to beat No. 2-ranked Florida, who will play Oklahoma for the national championship game. So, they're expecting a tough outing against an Ole Miss team that has won its past five games.

"Ole Miss is a very solid football team and they are very well-coached,'' Tech sophomore running back Baron Batch said. "It should be a lot of fun to play against them in such a prestigious bowl game as the Cotton Bowl.

"We have been able to do a lot of things that no other Tech team has been able to do, and to be the first to win a Cotton Bowl would be really special.''